Béla Bartók composed his 44 Duos for two violins primarily as a pedagogical series for young students, but the collection has become increasingly popular with accomplished violinists for recordings and as recital fare, and it is usually played in its entirety, due to the brevity of the individual pieces. Sarah and Deborah Nemtanu present the 44 Duos on their debut album for Decca, and their eloquent and highly expressive playing proves that the work is as musically satisfying as the artistry they bring to it, and as listenable as Bartók's Mikrokosmos for piano, another work for students written in the same period.

This CD presents the brief but remarkable output of songs by Duparc during his artistic period that was cut short by a nervous affliction. These works are beautifully performed by mezzo-soprano Sarah Walker and baritone Thomas Allen, with sensitive piano accompaniment by Roger Vignoles. The collection opens with Duparc's best known melody, L'invitation au voyage, which is a setting of a text from Baudelaire's Les fleurs du mal. The lovely rolling impressionist piano harmonies are played with exquisite fluidity, as they underscore Walker's velvety and intimate vocals. The Sérénade florentine is an impressionist lullaby to a loved one, delivered with touching emotion by Thomas Allen. Extase, Elégie and Testament show the influence of Wagner, and the Chanson triste is one of Duparc's early, Gounod-style songs. Au pays oú se fait la guerre (1869) is also an early work, but is particularly entrancing with simple modal harmonies and easily perceived song construction. By sensitive use of passing tones in the piano, the harmonies are subtly redefined and the music is extended dramatically toward the end by expressive on-rushes.

Sarah Matthews was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. She is what you'd call "blue-eyed soul" or some say she's an old soul. This album brings to light the different and often complex personas that exist within one being. Part of being human is trying to find ways to relate to others in the world. Relationships are also complex and many of the songs reflect the multitude of emotions she goes through with those who were close. "As I Am" sort of covers a variety of genres to exemplify the fact that people can be many kinds of performers and artists. Sarah studied vocal jazz and classical voice at SF State and is currently working on her masters in music education at Holy Names University. She is a music teacher by day but a bad-ass musician by night.

Nominated 'Rising Star' in the 63rd Annual DownBeat critics poll, this is a spectacular debut of the New York's violinist Sarah Bernstein on Leo Records. The CD features the acclaimed violinist with master musicians Kris Davis on piano, Stuart Popejoy on electric bass and Ches Smith on drums. The album showcases Bernstein's distinctive post-tonal and polyrhythmic jazz compositions deconstructed by open improvisation and sonic exploration. The music is developing through seven pieces which flow organically from minimal music to breathtaking be-bop to free jazz.

I've been working on the new album for the last five years because I've insisted on doing the jobs for which you're usually engaged. Simply and solely for the reason that I have not found anyone who could make it right for me. I did not want to hand over my songs to third parties, "wanted everything, all the terror and the gold". Juliette Gréco calls it the "école du trottoir", the school of the street, I would have to speak of "école du studio": In the past five years I have been studying in Germany, England and America, my practical music studies By, by means of; I dedicated myself to my own concept of music, of singing, of my own lyrics, and took all the time in the world that my songs demanded from me.